Marketing Essay Example: Effect of Color on Consumer Engagement

Color is a universal and vital source of information. Typically, a customer makes a decision in less than 90 seconds after the first interaction with a product or a person. Studies have shown that about 65-90 % of the assessments both on people and products are based on colors only (Singh, 2006). That shows that prudent use of the diversity of colors can enable a business not only to differentiate products from competition but also to influence the attitudes, moods, feelings, and decisions both negatively and positively towards certain products. Since a persons feelings and moods are unstable and colors have a significant role in forming the attitudes, it is vital that business persons understand the contribution of colors in marketing. Singh (2006)s study entailed a literature review of the existing research material on color psychology and its relation to marketing. The scholar highlighted the controversies and inconsistencies associated with color psychology and examined the impact of the concept color psychology on marketing. Singh (2006)s study revealed that managers could use the psychology of colors to influence the consumers decision by increasing or decreasing the appetite of customers, calming them down and reducing the perception of waiting time.

On the other hand, Aghdaie and Honari (2014) study investigated the psychological impact of colors on the process of consumer shopping behavior. Unlike decades ago when customers bought products from unorganized outlets, the modern market has undergone significant changes. In the contemporary market, consumers usually frequent outlets with glittering products arranged in shelves that apply a combination of sociological, psychological, and marketing factors. Due to the diversity of application of this knowledge, many customers often find themselves with empty baskets due to the dilemma on the choice of household goods. According to Aghdaie and Honari (2014), many customers focus their attention on the color, appearance, and packaging of a product before making a decision to buy it or not. In addition, the scholars noted that the past experiences with the product and the factors applied to buy the product also affect the consumers decision. For this reason, Aghdaie and Honari (2014) underscore the significance of understanding the aspects considered when deciding the color and packaging of the product due to the heavy influence of color on a consumers decision.

The findings of Aghdaie and Honari (2014)s study revealed that consumers typically prefer products that have certain colors. In other words, certain colors are associated with definite products. The scholars explain the rationale behind this behavior as the intensity of exposure of certain colors to certain cultures. Therefore, the extent to which a population expands its color preferences is based on cultural relations within that demographic. According to Aghdaie and Honari (2014), this revelation could be used by marketers to identify the relationships between their products and the target market hence make appropriate changes to suit the market needs. This idea is well exemplified in products of vital importance whereby marketers focus on social learning dimension to enable them to select the best colors to be associated with their product. By using the associative learning technique, marketers are able to create a positive impression of the product on the consumers during promotions. Similar to how other promotional and marketing techniques are emphasized, Aghdaie and Honari (2014) highlight that the color of a product should be considered as an equal and critical aspect of the marketing strategy.

References

Aghdaie, S. F. A., & Honari, R. (2014). Investigating the Psychological Impact of Colors on Process of Consumer Shopping Behavior. International Review of Management and Business Research, 3(2), 1244.

Singh, S. (2006). Impact of color on marketing. Management decision, 44(6), 783-789.